


Xenobiology

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Episode Related, Episode: s01e04 38 Minutes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-29
Updated: 2008-11-29
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:07:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the minutes tick down, Carson finds himself caught up in his fear of losing his lover, Rodney.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Xenobiology

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McBeckChallenge prompt #3 - 38 Minutes

Working his way through the identical stores to those inside the Jumper had the fortunate side effect of keeping Carson's mind occupied from the more terrifying thought that his lover was also stuck with less than thirty-eight minutes to live. He tried to avoid all the extra talk coming through his radio, only faltering whenever he heard Rodney's voice. He knew that tone, knew it was Rodney's _scared and trying unsuccessfully to be brave about it_ tone. It came out in fits of pique, in demands for food that was more for comfort than for the hypoglycemia that Rodney insisted he had.

Concentrate, Carson thought. Concentrate. He was no xenobiologist but he knew that although the creature hadn't reacted to the salt alone, perhaps when combined with water it would irritate it enough to let go of the Major.

As a doctor, he had heard plenty of pain-filled cries but this one was chilling. The defeat in Rodney's voice confirmed that it had been far worse in close proximity and not only because of Sheppard's pain. He knew Rodney had been holding out on the slim hope that if he could not find a way to get the Jumper unstuck before the Stargate shut down then the bulkhead door might provide enough of an airlock to keep them safe until help arrived from Atlantis. Carson had been holding onto that same fragile hope too but now even that was lost to them. All he knew was that there was a gaping hole that would suck out every molecule of air the moment the Stargate severed both its connection and the Jumper. None of the occupants in the rear compartment would survive more than a minute or two following the sudden decompression, and it would take longer than that to redial the gate and send a second Jumper through.

His lover was brilliant though, at least Rodney was always telling him he was a genius. With only fifteen minutes left there was still hope. There had to be. Carson wished he could yell at Rodney to block his ears and eyes to anything that would not get the Jumper free.

The time check rattled him, the relentless counting down of the minutes of his lover's life, and Carson was no closer to helping anyone until Sheppard ordered them to hit him with the defibrillator. At first it sounded like a death wish but stopping someone's heart to save their life was not a new concept to a doctor. Beckett smiled, suddenly understanding the connection Sheppard had made to the Wraith. While Sheppard lived the creature would continue to feed off him but once its food source was dead then it would have no reason to hold onto Sheppard. With the small amount of time left, Carson knew this could easily be the only chance they had left to save the Major's life.

He ignored the fear that it might all be for naught anyway if Rodney could not fix the Jumper.

Rodney. Had it only been a few hours since he kissed his lover passionately before they parted company at Carson's door. His lips tingled with the memory, with the sweetness of Rodney looking back at him with eyes shining and his kiss-flushed mouth curved up into a smile. Forcing aside the memory, Carson ordered a Code Blue in the Jumper bay, just in case the young lieutenant couldn't revive Sheppard which, under the circumstances, was the most likely outcome. He'd heard the growing weakness in Sheppard's voice as the creature sapped all his strength before starting to feed on his life force. He wondered how much weaker Sheppard's heart might be by now, perhaps too weak to take a second shock.

The portable defibrillator powered, and Carson listened to its high pitched whine until he heard the electric thump of discharge running through Sheppard's body. Teyla's anxious words followed but Carson was not a strong believer in the instantaneous response. The creature would need a moment or two to realize its prey was dead, for the blood to pool in the heart and the electric impulses of the brain to die away. It would continue to feed until it felt Sheppard's life force ebb away.

"Settle. It may take a moment."

When the first attempt to revive the Major failed, Ford sent Sheppard through the event horizon with Teyla and without a patient, all Carson had left to think on was Rodney. With only two minutes to go, he raced to the Jumper bay, most of him still clinging to hope but the darkness of despair had started to squeeze on his heart.

They had made love that morning, pressing kisses against Rodney's sweaty forehead as Carson thrust deeper with every stroke, swallowing the keening wails of pleasure as one more direct stroke across his prostate had Rodney coming so hard Carson was sure the man's brains would leak out of his ears. What he loved most was the moment that followed Rodney's release, that moment when any remaining tension flowed out of his strong body and he submitted totally, body loose and all Carson's. That's what always brought him over the edge; that single moment when Rodney was his and his alone.

"Thirty seconds!"

Carson squeezed his eyes closed. They had planned a dinner and movie for this evening; a chance to get out of uniform and just be two normal people in love. He'd even promised to let Rodney choose the film from the extensive list smuggled in by the scientists on their laptops and uploaded to the Atlantis subsidiary database. He hadn't been looking forward to Rodney's choice as it wasn't his preferred genre but he had been looking forward to distracting Rodney from it. Now, if a miracle happened then he'd sit through every bloody minute of Forbidden Planet, quiet as a mouse, just so long as he could hold Rodney while it played.

Rodney had been shoved through the event horizon so he wouldn't feel the pain of explosive decompression, and in ten seconds, he would simply cease to exist. Surely the Ancients must have had something like this happen before? Surely they had some safety protocol in place to retrieve human patterns caught in the buffer between two Stargates? He couldn't believe that it had never happened in all their thousands of years of Gate travel.

When the floor to the Jumper bay opened and a Jumper rose from the Gate room below, Carson's heart skipped a beat.

Alive. His Rodney was alive. He spared himself a quick look of reassurance as he rushed to Sheppard's side, the doctor in him taking control with ease now that his fear for his lover had passed.

Hours later, with Sheppard settled comfortably in the Infirmary, Carson handed over care to Dr. Harris, who was on night duty and left at a brisk pace. He still had an hour to kill before Rodney came by but he found Rodney waiting for him outside the Infirmary door, already dressed in his civvies.

"I know we planned for later but I thought I'd wait..." Rodney pointed up the corridor. "I could go away and come back..."

Carson smiled and reached out to grasp Rodney's shoulder, allowing himself the small touch in public. "No. Stay."

With a gentle pull, he led the way to his quarters. "Forbidden Planet?" he inquired softly, smiling as Rodney took that as a sign to tell him all about the film's origins. Carson let his lover's voice wash over him and once they were behind closed doors, he held him tight and refused to let him go until morning.

END


End file.
